OTTAWA, Canada—“I think it is very marvellous, brilliant,” said Ambassador Bruce Linghu, the Taiwanese Representative to Canada, after seeing the Shen Yun Performing Arts finale at the National Arts Centre on Friday afternoon, Jan. 4.
“Everyone watching the show would find it breathtaking,” Ambassador Linghu said in an interview in Chinese.
It was the ambassador’s second time seeing the renowned classical Chinese dance and music production, the first time being in Los Angeles.
The New York-based classical Chinese performing arts company, founded in 2006, has since grown to four touring companies that travel around the globe with an all-new show every year, gracing the stage at the world’s top venues such as Lincoln Center in New York, Kennedy Center in Washington, and the London Coliseum.
Among its audiences are star actors, leaders in fashion, government VIPs, and international celebrities.
“Shen Yun has been very successful in facilitating cultural exchange overseas. I understand that it performs all over the world, including in Taiwan. I think the performance is very successful and wonderful,” Ambassador Linghu said.
“All [the pieces] are excellent. The performers did a wonderful job in every piece, worked very hard, and you can see their profound skill. I think the dance, music, as well as singing were all first-class and top-quality.”
The mission of Shen Yun is “to revive the true, divinely inspired culture of China and share it with the world,” as explained on the company’s website.
For thousands of years, the ideals of virtue originating from Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism lay at the heart of Chinese society, centring on principles such as benevolence and justice, propriety and wisdom, respect for the heavens, and divine retribution.
These ideals have sadly been all but destroyed following 65 years under the atheist rule of the communist regime in Mainland China, especially during the so-called Cultural Revolution, and as explained by the masters of ceremonies, Catherine Fang and Ben Freed, Shen Yun cannot be seen in China.
Ambassador Linghu noted that “Taiwan has long maintained the authentic traditional Chinese culture,” including in all areas of endeavour such as education in the classics and ethics education.
Commenting on the traditional values of Chinese culture presented in the Shen Yun performance, the ambassador expressed that they are very important.
“I think righteousness, truth, compassion, and beauty, these concepts and principles that the show conveys are what every one of us seeks. I think these are all very positive messages,” he said.
“We should uphold these upright principles, and pursue these ideals. I think this is very important. They are very worthy for us to admire.”
Reporting by NTD Television and Cindy Chan
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reaction since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
